By Griffith Coaching Associates

Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by New Church Starts

Jim Griffith and Bill Easum draw from decades of personal experience in planting new churches and consulting with supervisors and planters in new church starts. They have condensed their vast experiences down to ten points that account for the great majority of failures among church planters. For each point, the authors provide examples of the particular mistake and ways to avoid it. They speak in special sections to coaches and supervisors, showing them how to work with church planters to avoid the mistakes. The ten mistakes point in most cases to plans made on the basis of past experiences or unrealistic models that do not fit either the particular church planter or the mission field where the church is planned. The church planter must take the initiative to do God's work as directed by the Holy Spirit, not copy a religious superstar's methods or approach the works as defined by outside sources.

The Changeover ZoneSuccessful Pastoral Transitions

The Changeover Zone addresses a critical and perennial need in the church: The process of handing the baton of pastoral leadership from one person to the next. Authors Jim Griffith and Jim Ozier offer practical instructions and guidance for both clergy and congregations. They provide detailed sections especially for clergy who are taking over for a founding pastor and for those replacing long-tenured pastors. The book is packed with real-church examples as well as helpful tips and tactics that have been proven successful. This resource will expertly guide pastors, supervisors, and congregations in nearly any church setting or denomination.

Worship Evangelism Inviting Unbelievers into the presence of God

Sally Morgenthaler calls the church to consider the remarkable, untapped potential of worship as an opportunity of those who aren't yet followers of Jesus Christ as well as those who are to encounter the presence of God. Now with a study guide that encourages group discussion and personal action, this timely book offers fresh vision for worship evangelism and provides the strategies to implement it.

Recommended Books

Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship

In this book, Christopher lays out the main reasons we too often fail to convince potential givers that their gifts will have impact and significance, including our frequent failure simply to ask.

Written with the needs of pastors and stewardship teams in mind, Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate provides immediate, practical guidance to all who seek to help God’s people be better stewards of their resources.

The Myth of the 200 Barrier: How to Lead through Transitional Growth

Martin looks at these elements and shows how the Transitional Church can avoid mistakes in their effort to grow “beyond the barrier,” and why transformation and change is so difficult.Drawing on sociological and anthropological studies about the significance of numbers in human organizations, Martin proposes practical steps that leaders of Transitional Churches will want to take.